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Sunday, November 20, 2011

Investigation at SUNY New Paltz after ‘Colored Only,’ other racist signs posted on campus

Campus police and administrators at SUNY New Paltz have launched an
investigation after several racists signs - including one on a water
fountain that said "Colored Only" - were posted around campus this
month.

On Nov. 8, a small "Colored Only" sticker was posted on a water
fountain on the first floor of the university's Humanities Building, the
school president said in a memo after the incident.

Hours later, another sign in the shape of a hand giving the middle
finger was found in Lefevre Hall, a dorm, that said "Lynching n---ers
program at 7:30 main lounge," according to a student Facebook page.

That sign originally advertised a dorm event before it was torn into
the shape of a hand and scrawled with the racist message, a student
said.

The signs were torn down and given to campus police, and SUNY New Paltz
president Donald Christian sent an email to students condemning the
incidents.

But two days later, another sign calling for "lynching" was spotted in an elevator, the school and students said.

The sign on the left referenced lynching and was posted in a dorm. The 'Colored Only' sign was posted on a water fountain. (Courtesy of a SUNY New Paltz student via Facebook)

Campus police told the Times Herald-Record that they had a few leads, but no arrests have been made.

In statements to students this week, Christian called for a campus-wide forum to address the incidents on Nov. 30.

"We condemn such acts as contrary to our community values, hopes, and aspirations," Christian said in an email on Wednesday.

"While we cannot know the motivations of the person(s) responsible for
these acts, having them splinter our community may well feed into
[their\] goals. We must not allow that to happen."

Junior Jonathan Espinosa, 20, said he was one of the first to see the water fountain sticker and called it a "hate crime."

The Bronx native told the Daily News that some suspected the signs were
posted in reaction to Black Solidarity Day, a Nov. 8 event when many
black students were given the day off to gather off campus and celebrate
their heritage.

"We came together peacefully among each other as family and friends.
And for this to happen the day after was very shocking," he said.

The university's student association and black student union called for
students to attend a talk dubbed “Racism at SUNY New Paltz” on Thursday
night.

“Some students have said to ignore it, but it think if we continue
ignore it, we enable to people to continue to do stuff like this,”
Espinosa said.